In My Tribe

The front cover of the CD edition, designed by Kosh, is a black-and-white photograph of children with bows and arrows in an archery class,^[1][2] a theme used by record and cassette editions with different covers.

More information Review scores, Source ...

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Los Angeles Times	[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[5]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	8/10[6]
The Village Voice	B−[7]

Close

In a contemporary review, Rolling Stone's J. D. Considine wrote that "with In My Tribe, the group has finally come into maturity. It isn't simply that the songs are richer and more resonant this time around; the band itself seems to have grown."^[8] In 1989, Rolling Stone ranked the album number sixty-five on their list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s, summing it up as "a poetic, heartfelt message about social concerns such as alcoholism, child abuse and illiteracy."^[9] Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times largely praised the album, in particular Peter Asher's production, which he felt made the band "more forceful and accessible" and brought Merchant's vocals to the foreground. While he also felt the band were recycling musical ideas from departed guitarist John Lombardo, he stated that "the advances in Merchant's singing and lyrics—both are more intimate and assured—help offset the problems of over-familiarity."^[4] Robert Christgau of The Village Voice was critical of Merchant's "nasal art-folk drawl", but added that "by deprivatizing her metaphors, she actually says something about illiteracy, today's army, and cruelty to children."^[7]

In a retrospective review, AllMusic reviewer Chris Woodstra wrote that "the album proves powerful not for the ideas [...] but rather for the graceful execution and pure listenability."^[3]

In 1989, the band's recording of Cat Stevens' "Peace Train" was removed from the U.S. CD and cassette versions of the album, after comments made by Stevens (by then a Muslim convert, known as Yusuf Islam) that were supportive of the fatwa on Salman Rushdie. The song remained on copies released outside the United States. It was later included on the band's 2-CD compilation Campfire Songs: The Popular, Obscure and Unknown Recordings, released on January 24, 2004 by Elektra/Asylum/Rhino Records.

All songs written by Natalie Merchant, except where noted.

Side one

1. "What's the Matter Here?" (Robert Buck, Merchant) – 4:51
2. "Hey Jack Kerouac" (Buck, Merchant) – 3:26
3. "Like the Weather" – 3:56
4. "Cherry Tree" (Buck, Merchant) – 3:13
5. "The Painted Desert" (Jerome Augustyniak, Merchant) – 3:39
6. "Don't Talk" (Dennis Drew, Merchant) – 5:04

Side two

1. "Peace Train" (Cat Stevens) – 3:26

   Omitted from later US CD and digital releases

2. "Gun Shy" – 4:11
3. "My Sister Rose" (Augustyniak, Merchant) – 3:12
4. "A Campfire Song" – 3:15
5. "City of Angels" (Buck, Merchant) – 4:17
6. "Verdi Cries" – 4:27